Our Team

Our Leadership

Gary Saner, CEO

Gary was born in Baltimore, Maryland, however, his father’s career in the U.S. Navy allowed his family to experience many different cities across the country. His family settled in San Diego, CA where Gary followed in his father’s shoes, joining the U.S. Navy upon graduating high school. Gary served in the U.S. Navy for 11 years, going on to study systems engineering and management at the University of Southern California.

When he founded Primero Systems, Gary aimed to leverage his years of software development experience and solving complex business problems. Gary has always enjoyed challenges and has sought the same quality and ambition in each employee he’s hired. Despite the busy days as Primero’s CEO, Gary always finds the time to nurture professional relationships with each of our 60+ employees, making him a very approachable boss. Gary has presented at numerous business conferences addressing agile software development and project management; he has also been a featured speaker at various conventions and forums, including Litton’s Corporate Software Management Technology Conference. He is on the Board of Directors for the San Diego chapter of INCOSE and is also on the Board of Directors of the Science of Laws Institute. Gary is a Certified AWS Business Professional, Certified Scrum Master, and advocate of Agile Software Development methodologies.

Steve Press, President

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Steve is native to San Diego, CA and having attended San Diego State University, he is a diehard SDSU Aztecs and L.A. Chargers fan. Steve started his professional years growing into the role of a sales territory supervisor before moving into the field of software engineering.

For the past 20+ years, Steve has fulfilled various roles within Primero, starting out as a junior programmer, moving up to our CIO, and now, President. During his time at Primero, Steve has been a product visionary and deeply immersed in overseeing the development of content management solutions, vital custom business systems, and critical customer applications. He provides strong leadership for our company, helping to inspire and encourage staff to consistently "break the mold" in their respective roles.

German Porta, CTO

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German was born and raised in Argentina; however, has resided in San Diego, CA and San Francisco, CA throughout parts of his career. He attended Universidad Tecnológica Nacional and enjoys sailing around the globe, experiencing as many countries and different cultures as he can.

As Primero’s system architect, leading database designer, and systems engineer, German has spent the past 20+ years overseeing software development for Primero and directing a team of 50 engineers. German is responsible for successfully initiating, growing, and managing offshore custom software development for Primero while serving as general manager for Primero Systems operations in Argentina. German is focused on channeling the infinite power of software to turn visions into reality for Primero’s customers, and delivering top-tier, cost-effective products and services. Eager to further his technical accomplishments, German stays on top of industry trends and has achieved certifications as an AWS Technical Professional, AWS Business Professional, and AWS Machine Learning on AWS Business.

Melissa Saner, COO

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Melissa grew up in Hilo, Hawaii and graduated from the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Before she joined Primero, Melissa relocated to San Diego, CA and started her professional life working in the medical device manufacturing industry as a customer support manager and special project manager.

At Primero, Melissa oversees company operations, including customer support, account management, human resources, and accounting. When she joined the Primero family in 2004, the company had just five employees. Under her guidance, the company has grown to more than 60 employees across two continents. Melissa is commonly referred to among employees as the “Mom of Primero” as she goes above and beyond to ensure each employee is treated fairly and fully enabled in every regard to be successful.

The Primero Team

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”

-Ryunosuke Satoro

We pride ourselves in building long-lasting and meaningful relationships with our employees. More than 45% of our team has been part of our work family for over 10 years. We embrace passion, creativity, and foster an environment where employees are encouraged to surpass their goals.